Unthank you to all those who didn’t comment (aka everyone).

I thought it was appropriate as self-appointed Brooklyn blogger with opinions, that we discuss the crisis of the new New York orange license plates. Apparently, somebody was drunk or high as they redesigned the already perfect plates to become a nasty neon orange, reminiscent of absolutely nothing to do with New York, except maybe the Knicks. Moreover, they resemble the dreary yellow/orange of New Jersey. I always rely on associating such colors with slow, inexperienced, and annoying drivers. I am admittedly prejudiced against foreign plates, and now my eyes will need to adjust and differentiate between different shades of orange. It turns out I wasn’t the only one who found the new plates atrocious, and I totally missed a fun protest in Albany. Thank G-d there are others in this world concerned with vehicular appearances and color clashes across the state. Although the political higher-uppers promised there would be no new plates, like most political higher-uppers – they lied. It’s just not mandatory to switch. But all newly ordered plates will arrive in bright orange – what the city has marketed as “empire gold.” Sorry Patterson. The only gold I understand comes in karats.

All of this hullabaloo reminds me of last year’s Tropicana fiasco. Another orange disaster. My favorite drink attempted to make their product less unique by changing their carton to show a glass of orange juice. It was nasty, looked like formula, and became difficult to see the difference between different sub-brands. For example, I almost choked on Tropicana with Lots of Pulp, because they all looked the same in the grocery store. Like a proper American citizen, I exercised my right to complain. I called Tropicana and told them I couldn’t stand the new cartons. The man on the other end asked for my address, and I told him I didn’t want to be on any kind of mailing list, I just wanted my old Tropicana back. He said it was a one-time mailing only, and sent over $8 in coupons and an apology to Tropicana’s biggest fan. Just a few weeks later I got another letter from Tropicana saying they took my advice, and were returning to the orange-with-a-straw-stuck-in-it logo. (And they gave me another $8 in coupons). Freedom to Complain can get you places. I’m sending this blog to Albany.

Oranged out,

Rachel Lily

P.S. Want to make a personal shout-out to my amazing Big Brother Big Sister committee who were all awarded last night at the annual awards presentation. You guys are the best!